And then there were words...

As a transplant from Houston with it's concrete extending as far as the eye can see to the mountain wonderland of Salt Lake, I am somewhat new to climbing, skiing, hiking, and well... all of it. Despite this "handicap", I have completely fallen in love with this wacky and underappreciated city (and state!) and find myself far more comfortable as part of the outdoor enthusiast community than I would ever have guessed. A real and tangible drawback to my "newcomer" status is the lack of gear. While many people here have had years to bulid up racks, buy skis and boots, I have had to amass a pile of expensive plastic and metal over the course of a few short years. And all this on a graduate student's budget.

Thank goodness for the kind folks at Backcountry.com for accepting me as part of the horde- were it not for them, my list of sports would be far, far shorter. If you've never checked out their site- I highly recommend it. They have a comprehensive selection of outdoor gear, and their customer service is top notch. And of course, you should check out my posts on their blog. I'm no Walter Winchell, but they're relatively entertaining. I plan to keep a record of my posts here as well for compactness.